


Moments Between Us

by GintaxAlvissforever



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Almyra Headcanons, Attempted Kidnapping, Attempted Murder, Blue Lions and Golden Deer are combined in most cases, Canon-Typical Violence, Family Drama, Family Feels, Ficlet, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, Implied Relationships, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mutual Pining, Original Character(s), Other routes in some scenarios, Overprotective Dads, Racism, Slow Burn, That Happens Throughout the Scenarios
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:14:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22893067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GintaxAlvissforever/pseuds/GintaxAlvissforever
Summary: Claude was pleased when Byleth joined the Golden Deer class. What started out as him using Byleth to further his own goal turned into something else that he couldn't stop.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/My Unit | Byleth, Minor or Background Relationship(s), My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Kudos: 29





	Moments Between Us

**Author's Note:**

> I could be writing lewds or I could be writing a "ficlet" of 25 scenarios of my OTP. I thank RisingSonic17 for helping me with the editing <3 
> 
> But let's see, if the tags don't make any sense, most of the scenes happen in the Golden Deer route. There are some Black Eagles, Blue Lions and Church scenarios too. But overall, in my stories, it's Golden Deer and Blue Lions merged (with everyone recruitable minus two characters). 
> 
> Byleth is male. Beth if female. Most scenarios are from the Golden Route path but there are exceptions. Scenarios skip between pre-timeskip and post timeskip. Claude's Almyran name is put in the story too as a heads up.

**Meeting**

Their meeting was accidental, but it could have been the Goddess' doing. Claude ran away when it was apparent that they were surrounded by bandits who knew who they were and what they wanted. Edelgard and Dimitri would have stayed fighting but not Claude. The only way he'd survive was if he ran to get help or flee somewhere no one could find him.

It was fate that brought him straight to the twins who would eventually become the professors of the Golden Deer. Claude refused to admit he was awestruck by them. While Edelgard and Dimitri were fascinated by the female twin known as Beth, Claude's attention was toward the male twin.

Tall. Strong. Silent. Reliable. Mysterious. There were so many words Claude had to describe Byleth in his head, and he is glad that he would have an entire year to figure him out.

**Restraint**

Despite growing up as a mercenary and his title of "Ashen Demon", Byleth detested pointless violence like he did. Although Claude's non-violent methods included poisoning, Byleth was completely against it. In Almyra, poisoning was considered a cowardly tactic and no one with Almyran blood would resort to such treachery. Claude learned that he could make potions that could be non-lethal. If he could just inject it into the bloodstream before an important battle, he could win without having to get physical.

Byleth did not believe in such tactics for a different reason entirely.

"You are a very capable fighter. There is no need for you to resort to such a thing."

Claude failed to realize that Byleth saw potential in him. He pouts at his plan being rejected.

**Power**

Byleth has demonstrated many times he was capable of great things. He was everything Claude wished he was. Now, Byleth managed to grab the Sword of the Creator. Even without a crest stone, the professor wasn't harmed by its effects. Claude read stories about the Sword of the Creator. As the sword used by the King of Liberation, it had the power to make dreams come true.

Claude knew that he needed Byleth on his side. All he had to do was play his cards right and his dreams would come true.

**Fear**

Claude refused to admit that he feared anything. If he wanted to survive in this world, he needed to be fearless. He needed to think ahead of everyone. He needed to be ready to use others to advance his goals.

When Claude was alone having tea with Byleth, it was easy for him to let his guard down. His hopes and dreams were locked behind a charming smile. At the very least, he could talk about a few things he's not all that happy about.

"Is there anything you do not like?" Byleth questioned. "I would like to make a mental note if something happens in battle."

The young lord laughs. "Oh, Teach. You know there isn't much that scares me. Except the depraved hunters that love lurking around the Alliance territories."

Claude would not speak of the Almyran Hunters. With how some skirmishes have started branching out to the Alliance territory, it would be good for his professor to know ahead of time.

**Missing**

Word got out that the three nations clashed at Gronder Field. All three armies suffered major casualties in some shape or form. Edelgard was wounded but came out on top. Dimitri and the kingdom were annihilated. The Alliance also suffered major casualties, but their leader had gone missing.

When Byleth heard Claude had gone missing, he felt his non-beating heart sink. Even if it was important to use this opportunity to press onward, the former professor wished he could scour the graveyard in hopes of finding anything resembling the former Golden Deer leader.

**Birthday**

Claude hated celebrating his birthday. It was always rowdy back in Almyra. His entire family had no problem throwing a party and rubbing it in to the people of Almyra how much they love their little prince. Even if the love was genuine, everyone else was superficial. The future prince couldn't trust any of the food given to him. If they were poisoned in disguise of a birthday gift, then it would be his fault. As a kid, he developed an immunity of poisons, but it was always better to stay away from anything that could poison him.

"Teach, what is this?" Claude asks suspiciously. He tried to get a good read on his teacher, but failed to do so yet again.

"Open it."

It was Claude's birthday, but he wanted to ignore it in favor of getting ready for the Goddess of Rebirth ritual. Still, Byleth found time to buy something for his student. Offering tea was just the start of a nice birthday present. His caution got thrown out the window once he opened it. He was rather surprised at what he received.

"T-Teach…this is…"

"I know you like riding," Byleth started while maintaining eye contact, "so I know you would like it. I asked for it to be customized so you would not lose it. After the ritual, we can go riding together. Just the two of us."

The offer sounded too much like a date. Claude couldn't bring himself to care. He held his present close to his heart as he mumbled something under his breath. Byleth didn't quite catch what he said, but he figured his student was pleased.

**Defeat**

There hasn't been anyone that matched Byleth in strength. The former professor was considered a one-man army along with his sister. When the twins were together, they were an unstoppable force on the battlefield. Except, this wasn't a battlefield. It was a duel that was required in Almyra. If Claude ever hoped to ask for help from his father, Byleth needed to defeat the King of Almyra.

But even with the Sword of the Creator, the Almyran King was another beast entirely. An overprotective father was one thing, but an overprotective father that was the ruler of Almyra and the strongest man that anyone has ever fought was too much.

"Teach!" Claude cried out. Panic overcame him as he rushed over to his former professor's side.

Byleth really messed up by underestimating Claude's father. For whatever reason, he couldn't use Divine Pulse in the throne room. It was as if there was a God directly interfering with his powers. Yes, he shouldn't rely on Divine Pulse if the battle didn't go his way, but the Almyran King's weapon of choice was a lance . The weapon triangle made things more difficult. When it came to the actual battle, Byleth only got a few hits in unleashing the power of his sword in desperation, but that didn't matter in the hands of the Hero King's lance negating the Hero's Relic. The Almyran King only swung his lance once and Byleth looked like he had been struck by a dozen strikes. There were gashes all over his body. He couldn't move his dominant hand. His legs gave up on him. Blood dripped down his forehead threatening to blind his eyes.

The onlookers cheered for their king winning. The only one in the room who looked ready to cry was ironically Claude, the one that the Hero King fought for.

"Baba, what are you doing?! You could have killed Teach!"

Claude shielded Byleth from his father's wrath, but there was no need. His father knew the battle was over. He had lowered his weapon with his eyes still on the defeated ex-mercenary before him.

"If it was anyone else, he would have died. He is lucky to have survived my swing."

Later, Byleth would find out that anyone who crossed paths with the Hero King did not live to tell the tale. Until then, Byleth swallowed the bitter pill of defeat.

**Happy**

It was difficult for Claude to be happy for a long period of time. When people hated you because of the blood running through your veins, assassins had no problem dropping their code of honor for a chance at eliminating the heir to the Almyran throne. His father declared if the assassins didn't commit suicide after their failed attempt, he'd make an example out of them. He made it clear to the people of Almyra that going after his son will not be tolerated. It didn't stop the attempts on his life and it certainly didn't make Claude feel any better. Besides people whispering how much of a dirty coward he was, he was also considered a weakling hiding behind his great father for protection. That only annoyed his son who couldn't choose who his parents were.

A superficial smile was all he needed to calm his father down. He could fool anyone with his charisma. He just needed to work to perfect it while preparing counter measures to protect himself behind the scenes. When he arrived in Fodlan, his mask was almost perfect. Except, there was one person who shattered said mask whenever he was around. Hilda brought it up during one of their conversations one day during the war.

"You only really smile when it concerns the Professor."

Claude denied her theory, but deep down he knew she was right.

**Love**

Byleth learned a lot about Almyran culture during his visit to Almyra. He had to meet Claude's family. It didn't matter if they got engaged, Claude's father refused to accept the engagement unless he met the Archbishop in person. He didn't want to leave originally, but Seteth could take over. Byleth needed to ask Mercedes to help with the church as well. If Beth wasn't stuck with Dimitri in the castle, he would have asked her. Alas, Byleth couldn't dump this on short notice. His sister had a wedding to plan for herself and Dimitri too.

The Archbishop rather not think about how the Almyran King was when he arrived. It was apparent that he was a loving and overprotective parent, but it was rather ridiculous with how childish the Hero King became when it came to his son. No wonder Claude wanted to keep his heritage under wraps.

The Almyran King expected Byleth to learn as much as he could if he wanted to wed his son. What seemed tedious ended up being educational and fun. Compared to the church that buried the truth within the Abyss, Almyra was open to its history (even in the back of his mind, Byleth felt there were pieces of the puzzle still missing). The fact there were books translated for the people of Fodlan to read showed the wisdom the Almyrans had.

Almyra was saved by seven Gods that fought a wicked demon. Together, they banished the monster into hell. Afterwards, Almyra was divided into different sections, but the capital was ruled by the God King Qaum. Each God represents different aspects of Almyran culture and Byleth understood why the Almyrans were the way they were.

The ruler of all the Gods was the War God. He desired glory and honor, but was capable of ruling in a peaceful era. This is because he has a little sister to protect, a loving wife, and an adorable son to look after. When the war was over, the family came next.

The Goddess of Love was Anahita and Qaum's wife. The Goddess of Nature was Yasamin, Qaum's little sister. The God of Wishes was Shapur, the child of Qaum and Anahita. The other three deities were friends of the God of War and unrelated by blood. The Goddess of Death who was tasked with watching over the demon and all evil things was named Mara. The God of Wisdom was called Hormzd. The last God was the God of vice and justice.

Byleth was surprised that she was depicted as a demonic dragon that protected the Almyrans from all evil. Perhaps that was why the reveal that Rhea was a dragon didn't bug him as it did everyone else.

There was so much more Byleth wanted to read, but he was forced to learn the most about the Goddess of Love. She seemed like the benevolent figure that the Almyrans adored. Even if war and death were the most important Gods from what he was reading about, there were so many details about her that caught his attention. Specifically, when it came to marriage…

_**The royal family of Almyra can take a lover regardless of who they are and where they are from. If two men or two women were to wed in the royal family, they must pray to the Goddess of Love and ask for her blessing. The Goddess will come down from the heaven** _ _**s** _ _**and bestow the newly weds with the ability to have a child.** _

Byleth's eyes widened. He refused to believe this was a thing, yet he kept reading the text. The more he read, the less he knew. His face turned bright red reading what the Goddess would do to Claude once they were together. The professor needed to close the book before he passed out from the steam coming out of his head.

**Faith**

Faith was a powerful tool in Fodlan. It kept the church in power for over 1000 years. Wars often started because of faith and religious beliefs. Claude didn't believe in Gods when he was a kid, but understood that they were very much real. He had encountered a few in his childhood when he was a kid, but it never really hit him until he got older. The Almyran prince didn't want to be like his father who relied a little too much on the God's and what they would want. His dad was capable of great things. Almyra being in its golden age is proof of that. Yet, every achievement goes to the Gods for allowing it to happen and it annoyed Claude to no end. He refused to bow down to them, but he would still acknowledge their presence.

Faith proved to be a scary thing too. Against all odds, it makes humans believe despite everything being against them. For Claude, he refused to accept that his professor died in the Battle of Garreg Mach. He had to flee to the Alliance territory and stay in his territory while claiming neutrality. He refused to let anyone die a pointless death. He tried multiple times to try and get Edelgard to see his side of things, but she refused to cave in. Count Gloucester was all too happy siding with the Empire. If Claude forced neutrality within the Alliance, nobody could jump into the battle. Even if that meant abandoning the Kingdom to the Empire's might, the Alliance Leader had no choice.

Dark times only became darker, yet Claude believed deep down that Byleth and Beth would return to his side. Everyone else accepted that the professors died. How could anyone believe that when Byleth had the Sword of the Creator. When trapped in another dimension, he simply cut a hole through space to return. It was an amazing sight to behold. If Byleth escaped death once, he would again with his sister.

Whenever he had the chance, Claude would take Toothless out to "get some air" when in reality he would go to the ruined sight of the academy searching for any traces of the professors. It was risky and could jeopardize everything Claude did up until that point, but the young leader only wanted a confirmation of their deaths. Nobody meant they could still be alive no matter how small the chances were.

His faith never wavered even on the day of the promised class meeting. He waited in the Goddess Tower. Faith brought him here and he would wait an entire day. If no one showed up, then his faith was misplaced.

Claude's hearing had gotten better over the years. As the sun started to rise, he started to hear footsteps behind him. At first, he didn't turn around. It could have been an Imperial soldier or a bandit for all he knew. He wasn't afraid. He only needed to turn his head to see that his belief wasn't misplaced at all.

**Failure**

Everything went to hell so quickly. All because he foolishly believed that he could predict the movement of the Kingdom army. Claude's plan to leave a dent in the Empire's army at the Battle of Gronder was ruined due to Dimitri and his animalistic behavior.

He lost so many former students during the battle. That would not have happened if he just stuck to the original plan and waited until the fog cleared.

Claude ordered Lysithea to stay at the starting point. Fortunately, she had listened. Hilda retreated like he ordered her to if the ambush failed. The problem came that the ambush came on the wrong side of the field. He needed Hilda to be closer to the Empire and showing up near the Kingdom caused the attack to fail.

Everything else ended in failure. Leonie fell in battle due to foolishly attacking the former Professor. Ignatz would be killed next by the Empire forces and Raphael followed trying to protect his friend. Raining arrows was always Claude's strategy so seeing Edelgard deploy the strategy on isolated soldiers tore his heart to pieces.

"Dammit, I swear I'll look after Maya for you…" Claude muttered weakly under his breath. "I just need…to talk to Teach…"

But the Goddess prevented him from even talking to Byleth. Even though the professor cut down Leonie, he believed in his heart that the professor hadn't fallen to the same depravity as Dimitri did.

Byleth was still the same handsome man now as he was before he vanished five years ago. Claude grieved for the professor even though Byleth and Beth didn't teach the Golden Deer. Byleth still made him feel things that he refused to believe was love. Seeing Byleth stick around with Dimitri despite the way he acted hurt Claude more than anything.

Nothing was more insulting than being so close to Byleth and then having to retreat because of a stray arrow hitting his wyvern in the wing.

**Grief**

The Ashen Demon portrayed no emotions. He became a man everyone feared when on the battlefield. He had no mercy for his enemies and seemed to relish in the thrill of a good opponent. Claude didn't trust Byleth initially because he was so closed off from his emotions. With the time the two spent together at the academy, Claude realized that simply wasn't the case. Byleth was capable of emotions just like everyone else. He wanted to see every single emotion the former mercenary could show.

It was a selfish mindset to have and he got his wish. He was too late with helping Byleth corner the woman who stabbed Jeralt in the back. By the time he and the Golden Deer arrived, Jeralt had already passed on. There the professor was by his father's side, tears falling down his face.

Claude's heart snapped in two seeing his professor like this. Even if he didn't know how it felt to lose a parent, he wanted to cry with the one they called the Ashen Demon.

**Envy**

Byleth was too nice for his own good. He allowed the Ashen Wolves to join the Golden Deer class without skipping a beat. They could attend whenever they wanted as they weren't official students. Rhea was fine with them if Byleth swore to look out for them.

At first, Claude thought he and Yuri would get along fine. They kept their cards close to the chest but gave just enough information to keep others entertained. However, Claude wasn't as open with his growing crush toward his teacher as Yuri was. Yuri wasn't even interested in Byleth romantically, but it didn't stop him from coming onto the aloof professor.

Nothing was more irritating than hearing Yuri stay after class and whispering sweet nothings in Byleth's ear. The professor didn't even flinch, but Claude failed to keep his jealousy in check. It must have shown on his face because Yuri smiled cutely right back at him. Byleth finishes speaking to the Ashen Wolf leader and dismisses him. As he passed Claude, the archer wanted to wipe the smirk off the pretty boy's face.

"What's the matter Claude? It's not like you to stand there and watch the professor get swept away by another."

**Dance**

Claude dodged a bullet not being chosen as the rep for the White Heron Cup. He almost felt bad that Byleth chose Felix of all people, but somehow made it work. The house leader had a very good reason he didn't want to dance, and it had to do with how he danced. He didn't know a single Fodlan dance and it would show if he were to perform. It's not like he didn't know how to dance, but he'd rather keep his origin story to himself.

When the ball came around, Claude had no problem dragging Byleth onto the dance floor to dance with him. Here, it wouldn't matter too much if he danced out of sync with the Fodlan music. Byleth may have been able to help Felix with his dancing, but he wasn't that great of a dancer himself. Perhaps that allowed Felix to understand his viewpoint.

"Claude, this is not how the dance goes…" Byleth murmured as he noticed Claude picking up the pace. He gritted his teeth when his foot got stepped on.

"Who cares Teach? Let's have fun."

Byleth didn't see the appeal of them messing around on the dance floor and making the Golden Deer house look bad. Unfortunately for Claude, the music would change to something slower. His plans to "mess around" fell apart too quickly. The former mercenary quickly took the lead. Claude gasped feeling his teacher placing one hand on his hip.

"We can have fun later. Right now, we dance normally."

The young leader blinked before he found himself following along. He did his best to hide how taken back he was, but someone as observant as Byleth noted that his student's ears suddenly became a darker shade of red.

**Disguise**

Hilda has a brilliant plan. It involves disguising all Alliance soldiers as Imperial soldiers and sneaking into Fort Merceus. If one person gets in to open the door from the other side, it will be easy pickings.

Claude loved the idea and hopped on working off Hilda's plan immediately. Lorenz failed to understand why Claude would try something so reckless. Ignatz needed to be involved in the plan (and the poor guy was worried that things were going to get hectic quickly). Shamir disapproved of the plan listing every bullet point on why Claude needed to have a better one. Because there was no other option in his mind (and the fact that his idea would be entertaining to do), he encouraged her to help him.

It wouldn't take a genius to realize that Hilda wanted to take it a step further than planned. She had the nerve to talk about the plan in front of Byleth.

"What do you think we're missing professor?"

"I think Claude should be disguised as a woman." Byleth stated as a suggestion.

Claude nearly did a double take. Hilda gawked at the professor before laughing.

"Claude in Edelgard's clothes? Ha-ha-ha. You're so funny Professor."

Byleth remained steadfast in his determination. "Even if not her outfit, I believe he would look good in a red dress."

"E-Excuse me Teach?!" Claude stuttered refusing to be left out of this conversation.

"Oh Claude, you're still here." Hilda said with a cunning smile on her face. Claude hated his best friend sometimes. "Professor, I think we should leave the planning to the schemers."

Byleth turned his attention to Claude instead. "It is something I thought about Claude. Please consider dressing up for me."

There was no way this was the same stoic teacher. Claude wanted to die of embarrassment the moment the former teacher left the room to allow the two to continue planning. Hilda burst out laughing once he was out of hearing range.

"Hilda…not another word…"

The crossdressing was immediately thrown out of the plan to Byleth's disappointment.

**Slave**

Almyra was an anti-slave nation. It was one of the positives that Claude could think about when he thought of his birth nation. Due to the dark history Almyra had, the King of Almyra made sure to make owning slaves illegal. That didn't stop the underground criminal network from selling slaves, but it was a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, that network continued into Fodlan and many corrupt nobles and sinister commoners took advantage of this.

"Get a move on! We don't have all day!"

"Tch, how the hell are we going to get to that asshole if this Almyran bitch won't move?!"

"We'll just need to remind him of his place…"

This was a bad time for Claude. Just because the Alliance had successfully defeated the Empire, didn't mean that the war was over. They needed to turn their attention to Shambala and defeat Those Who Slither in the Dark. What he didn't need to happen was getting separated from the scouting group he was in and then getting surrounded by Almyran Hunters. Claude already told Byleth about his fear of ending up in a situation he couldn't fight his way out of, and it always involved the scumbags that hurt people like him.

"Careful, we can't hurt this one." the leader of the hunters stated. "He's the one that our seller wants. Said he was the Prince of Almyra."

Claude's blood ran cold hearing that. Almyran Hunters can easily identify Almyrans attempting to hide their bloodline. They couldn't prove anything else. Even if the archer played it off, he was still put in a bad situation. They captured him, gagged him and tied his arms behind his back. He could struggle if his feet weren't tied. His luck ran out.

"If he's supposed to be royalty, then he has no reason to be walking. Get him in the wagon."

The hunters suddenly stopped walking and pushed Claude onto the ground. Their cruel eyes never left him as they proceeded to tie the only place on his body that was unbound. Try as he might, the Alliance Leader was powerless against the hunters. He shut his eyes in frustration.

_Teach…hurry up and find me soon…please…_

**Savior**

Derdriu came under seize and Claude knew he was at his wit's end. The Imperial soldiers chased Claude toward the harbor separating him from Judith who was still stuck in the town. Hilda stood between the Empire soldiers and him. The Alliance Leader was at a complete loss. He had requested help from Almyra, but his greatest fear became reality. They would not be able to arrive in time to save him. The only one left he can rely on is Dimitri. If he got the letter in time, then the Kingdom should be on their way. The Kingdom has no reason to help the Alliance though except to stop the Empire from gaining more land in this war. Claude needed Dimitri's army to pincer attack the Imperial troops. The last thing he needed was to see the few people he cared about getting slaughtered in his name. Even when he gave the orders for anyone to retreat in order to live another day, his men would rather fight to the death than leave him hanging.

Arundel was the general of the Imperial army. Despite ordering for Claude's death, the archer had this nagging feeling that if he ended up alone with Arundel, he'd get captured instead.

The Kingdom flag waving in the background proved that the gamble worked. Claude sighs in relief, but he still needed to make sure to stay alive. It was just hard when there was a limit to how much Hilda could do to prevent Empire soldiers from crossing the bridge. She couldn't stop Falcon Knights from flying past her or coming in from behind with bows in their hands. The snipers that were assigned to back up Hilda were easily shot down from the surprise attack.

Toothless becomes startled by the sudden movement and immediately tried taking flight.

"Toothless, calm down! It's okay!" Claude tried to persuade his wyvern, but he wasn't all too interested in staying put and getting shot down.

That was what the Imperial troops wanted. Toothless flew away from the safest part of the harbor into the hands of the enemy troops. Claude prepared Failnaught to shoot the Falcon Knights down. It wasn't just him who had a bow in hand. The enemy had spears, tomahawks and arrows thrown at him. Toothless was a quick wyvern making quick air maneuvers around his enemy. There were too many of them to avoid though and Claude cursed to himself when he got surrounded. Toothless growled ready to take a bite out of the Pegasus in order to get his rider to safety. Claude refused for his wyvern companion to take the fall.

"End of the line!" One of the soldiers yells.

Claude didn't have that many options. They were going to shoot him down and he'd fall into the water and…

"CLAUDE!"

The Sword of the Creator broke into many pieces and hacked away at the wings of the Falcon Knights. Their riders screamed in terror at the sudden attack as they would be the ones swimming with the fish. Claude failed to notice he held his breath in until he saw Byleth below him.

"Teach…you're late…"

**Deer**

Claude always found it humorous how of the three house leaders, his animal was considered a prey species. Eagles and lions hunted their prey down and eventually devoured them. A deer could only run where their legs will take them. In a way, Claude's situation was no different from a deer. He had his back against the wall as the Imperial Army invaded Deirdru. He hoped that Lysithea surrendered like he ordered her too if Byleth gave her the option. Byleth was too merciful for his own good…but he still ended up siding with the Empire.

He had somehow made it past Hilda without confronting her directly. No one could stand in his way as he rushed toward the harbor. His eyes remained as cold as Claude remembered them. He frowns at how even with troops from Almyra, it wouldn't be enough to deal with Byleth. The twins made up an entire army themselves. Edelgard didn't even need them to conquer the Alliance.

As Byleth pushed through Claude's last line of defense, Claude prepared to fire Failnaught at the former professor. He failed to understand why his eyes were blurry as they finally met beautiful sea green ones.

"Teach…you should have picked me…" Claude laments.

"I am sorry Claude…" Byleth mumbles as he finally got in range to attack him. "This is how things need to be…"

"…Don't apologize and don't hold back Teach. I won't forgive you if you go easy on me."

Byleth would hold back and that's what hurt more. What was the point of picking a different house if he was going to treat him like the most important person still?

**Knight and Princess**

When the twins were five years old, they played with many of the kids in Remire Village. Jeralt wasn't all too thrilled of letting his son play with the children due to his lack of emotions. He just mimicked what Beth did in order to fit in and that worried the Blade Breaker.

Byleth only had vague memories of the game. There was often a heroic knight, a princess in need of rescuing, someone willing to play the stallion and finally the many enemies that had captured the princess and were holding her hostage. They were all given wooden weapons. To win, you simply need to disarm the villain. The hero loses if he is surrounded.

Beth was the more popular one, so she always ended up the heroine saving the day. Byleth got stuck playing her noble steed. Then other kids would kill the other roles. Byleth never cared for his sister to be the one in the spotlight. He was complacent with following her lead. Beth always seemed strong and confident in the role of the heroic knight saving those in need.

Byleth wouldn't understand the thrill of playing hero until he got older and wanted to protect someone important to him. Except there was no damsel to save. It was just an ambush that Byleth should have seen coming. He could always rewind time and prevent it, but this was the opportunity to play hero just for once.

"Teach, the odds are not looking in our favor."

Claude didn't have much to work with. He had a bow, but his wyvern wasn't anywhere near him. It was supposed to be a simple bandit killing mission. Not a battle to the death surrounded by assassins sent by the Empire.

"Claude." Byleth began. His eyes never left the assassins that were closing in. "Get ready to run."

Claude already didn't like the suggestion. "Teach, I'm not leaving you behind."

" _And I refuse to let you get caught because of my carelessness_ _"_. Byleth wanted to say. However, he still stood in front of the Alliance Leader in a protective stance. "You are forgetting something. I do not appreciate assassins anymore."

**Wish**

Byleth hated being the center of attention. He was just one of the two professors teaching for the Golden Deer class. Claude led him out to the dance floor, but he had no intention of taking everyone else waltzing. He wouldn't have minded just dancing with his sister and getting Marianne out of her shell, but after that, he was going to leave. Not only was he annoyed when other students pushed him away from Claude once the song ended, but he was forced to give everyone else an equal opportunity. It tired him out and made him flee from everyone.

" _Running away?"_ Sothis couldn't help but tease.

Byleth chose not to respond to her. Instead, he tried to think of a place he could use to get away from the student body. He remembered the Goddess Tower and headed toward the area hoping that no one would be there.

To his surprise, Claude also had the same idea. The two were baffled seeing each other.

"Oh, hey Teach. What brings you to the Goddess Tower?" Claude immediately stops Byleth from answering. "You know what. Never mind. The answer is as clear as day. You couldn't bear the ball anymore and simply had to escape."

"…I just needed a break…" Byleth mumbles. "It was…overwhelming in there."

"I know the feeling." Claude agreed. "I…feel the same way…"

Byleth didn't believe his student. Claude was the one that dragged him out to dance after all. Despite a slight change in his facial expression, Claude already knew what his professor was thinking.

"Ha, see right through me, do you? But I really do mean it. Parties aren't for me. Music and fun are good and all, but those dances the nobles do are…something else."

"Oh?"

"I was never taught to do that sort of thing. My upbringing was…lacking in certain ways."

"Even though you are from a noble family?"

"…Even so. I have fancied myself with a nice title, but who am I on the inside… Well, status alone can't change that."

Before Byleth could ask what he meant by that, Claude changed the subject.

"Say Teach…have you heard the legends about this tower?"

"No. What is it?"

"They say that if a man and a woman pray for the same thing here, on this night, the goddess grants their wish without fail."

Byleth was puzzled. "Why tonight?"

"Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with celebrating the anniversary of the monastery's completion. Maybe the goddess comes from above on this night and this night alone to celebrate with us. Even goddesses like to party, right? The truth is that it's just a legend the students here tell. It's not based on any real facts. But I suppose it would be a waste to pass up a chance of having our wish granted. What do you say Teach? Care to try?"

It was a lot of information to take in.

"What would we pray for?"

"Hmm…let's see…how about we pray for our ambitions to come true? You don't seem like the selfish type, but even you must have an ambition or two."

"I do not…"

It's true. Byleth never thought much about anything. He just mimicked what his sister did often or said things that would align with what Jeralt would want from him. Claude didn't seem all too upset though.

"Even if you're not aware of it, I'm sure there's something your heart of hearts wishes for. No one is ever completely satisfied. Everyone has something they long for. Otherwise, what's the point of it all? Of course, the same goes for me. Without realizing it, I found myself holding tight to some pretty ambitions. If you would…I would love for you to share in those ambitions with me Teach." Byleth agrees with Claude's words. Without any ambitions, it was just a hollow promise. His student must have known that. "But all that aside, let's get started. Let's pray to the goddess before she tuckers out for the evening. OK…here goes…Oh, divine Goddess! Hear our prayers! We beseech you and your radiance! Please, grant us that which we seek! Huh?"

"What?"

"I think that should do it. The goddess will make our dreams come true now, yeah?"

That went by a bit too fast. "I wonder…"

"At any rate, we've done all we can. Whether we actually believe our dreams will come true or not is up to us. I suppose we should head back soon. I'm sure everyone is looking for you. Just promise to spare another dance for me, okay Teach? As long as it's not one of those goofy noble dances, I am a treasure on the dance floor!"

Byleth could believe that. If he had his way earlier on this evening, he might have demonstrated a different dance than what the former mercenary was used to. However, Claude was rather surprised that his professor gently grabbed his hand.

"We can have another dance here and then have a dance of your choosing in a different setting…"

After being such a chatterbox, Claude was at a loss for words again. He frowns. "Teach…you're not allowed to say such things…it's pretty scandalous if you ask me."

Byleth may not have understood what Claude was referring to, but his student accepted another slow dance with him. Sothis did in fact approve of this as Byleth would learn later.

**Suffocating**

Claude had to return to Almyra regardless of how he felt. The Empire was defeated. Those Who Slithered in the Dark were annihilated, and Nemesis was sent back to the grave. Yet, Nader gave Claude a letter from his father demanding that he return home. One of the main reasons the archer was furious with Nader after the destruction of Fort Merceus was knowing why Nader fled instead of sticking around until the end. Judith had every right to be angry with him, but Claude knew the reason he left was to report about the incident to his father. If it hadn't been for the Death Knight, they might have all been killed. Giving his father more of a reason to force him back home just made things more complicated. While he can trust Byleth, Dimitri, and Lorenz to all do their part with him gone, he still wanted to stick around.

All he could do was confess his feelings to Byleth and exchange rings. The trip back to Almyra stayed silent until they passed through Fodlan's Throat. Due to Holst negotiating with Nader, Almyrans under his command could pass through so if they didn't cause any problems.

The moment they got past the border, wyverns from the palace were waiting for them. The skies have gotten better in Almyra thanks to his father, but at the same time it felt more suffocating. The King of Almyra cared for his son very much, but it often meant that the citizens were neglected.

The trip to the palace took a few hours. If there are no problems in the skies, then getting from location A to location B was a breeze. Again, his father made sure to have the best knights intercepting them.

"Your old man is just worried about you." Nader tells him as the palace comes into view. "You should ease his worries."

"It wouldn't be a problem if you didn't abandon me after the Javelins of Light rained down…" Claude mutters.

"Boy, if anything happened to you, your father would have started a war to avenge you."

The palace had a huge clearing for wyverns. Claude could land first, but the moment he landed, an intimidating figure waited for him. Said figure did not hesitate to wrap Claude into a bearhug.

"AMIR! MY PESAR! YOU ARE FINALLY HOME!"

"B-Baba…I'm fine…"

The other knights landed one by one. Nader laughed seeing the king lose his composure in the presence of his son.

"I MISSED YOU! IT'S BEEN SIX YEARS!"

"I'm fine…"

"YOU'VE GROWN INTO A FINE MAN!"

"Where is Maman…"

"She is preparing the meal for your return. Until dinner is ready, I get my pesar all to myself."

Claude knew he was one of the lucky ones. He has seen all types of parents in Fodlan. How many parents only saw their child as a tool to remain in high society? How many parents died leaving their child alone…and how many parents just didn't care about their child and wanted nothing to do with them? Here his dad was embracing his son after disappearing for six years just to travel to Fodlan in order to achieve his dreams. Most parents would have been angry if their son left without warning. Yet, despite everything, his father loved him.

"Baba…I'm dying…"

But his dad still might kill him if he squeezed him any longer.

**Approval**

Claude kept the truth close to his chest. He teased Dimitri of wearing his heart out on his sleeve. However when push came to shove, he wishes he did. Then he wouldn't feel like a lovesick schoolgirl around his former professor.

The Alliance Leader had to start somewhere. For his plans to work, he needed Byleth to know who Nader was. However, Nader might blow his cover and everything he worked hard for would be gone.

Nader was a smart, capable retainer though. He wouldn't rat Claude out like that. Hopefully…

All Claude needed to do was give him an update on the bridge being seized before talking about the professor. Nader beat him to it.

"Now then, who is this handsome fella?"

"This is my professor, who I asked to join me at the roundtable conference." Claude turns to Byleth. "Teach, this is Nardel, that retainer Judith was talking about."

Byleth bows and introduces himself. "It is nice to meet you."

Nader chuckles at Byleth's politeness. "Hmm, how polite. I've heard good things about you from Master Claude."

That peaked Byleth's interest. He wasn't aware that Claude talked about him. Granted, he should because he did teach Claude during his academy years, but he really wasn't expecting it from someone like Nader.

"As you can see, he wasn't born from Fodlan," Claude continues before Byleth could question what things his former student spoke about. "Still, trust me when I say that he is highly capable."

The Alliance Leader kept his poker face on, but if Nader said the wrong thing, he knew he could fluster him. Still, he played along. "True. In fact, my capability is my only redeeming quality." He smiles. "I do hope you continue to look after Master Claude. It would be bad if something were to happen to him."

Claude flinches for a moment. Oh, that wasn't good. This was going to be another one of those conversations that his father was going to know about.

"What do you mean?" Byleth questioned.

"Oh, Master Claude has people that care deeply about him back home. One particular person would throw a fit if he found out something happened to him."

"Nardel, that is unnecessary information." Claude hissed. His scowl was almost comical. "If you need to write to him, tell him I'm fine."

"Oh, I know you will. But I'll tell him I approve of your choice."

Byleth remained skeptical of this conversation. "Approve of what?"

Claude refused to answer. Byleth wondered why his former student started turning red. Did he get sick? Maybe he needed to take him to the infirmary rather than the roundtable conference.

**Mercy**

War was hell. War was a last resort to fixing things. Wars…were sometimes necessary. Claude refused to admit the last one though. He understood his dream required years, decades, even centuries to achieve. Fodlan and Almyra will never see eye to eye unless the church loses power. He wouldn't be able to do anything until he graduated from the academy, but Edelgard had snatched his dreams away .

Five years of fighting a pointless war with no end in sight until the twins returned from their slumber. From there, things could only go up…because Claude believed in them to lead them into a new age of Fodlan.

Byleth made one thing apparent to Claude despite voicing it. Because Claude had idealistic dreams, he would be the one to have blood on his hands. The Alliance Leader resented that. He hated being treated like a child. He was in charge of leading the Alliance against the Empire, yet Byleth intended to take all the kills. He refused to end up like Hubert who killed in Edelgard's stead.

When it finally came to deal the final blow to Edelgard, Byleth was the one that raised his sword in the air. With emotions at an all time high, he slowly realized why his professor stained his hands red.

" _Edelgard, please surrender. I don't want to kill you!"_

_"But I will kill you. Fight me with all you have."  
_

In Almyran culture, showing mercy was for the cowardly. Taking the chance to be spared was even worse as you lost the right to be a warrior. Claude never cared about that type of viewpoint. Five years of war and the archer believed he could still make amends with the woman who started it. Byleth understood that for peace to be achieved, others needed to be cut down. Claude knew that in concept but couldn't bring himself to do it when the time finally came.

Perhaps it was for the best. Edelgard wanted to die by Byleth's hands anyway. It still left a bitter taste in his mouth knowing that someone who could have been a great ally died because of her pride.

**Family**

The truth got out to his dad eventually. Claude expected his dad wouldn't take the news well. Still, he would go through with the decision regardless of what his father wanted.

"Man, to think you actually got engaged across the border Amir."

Claude had returned to his room. It remained the same as it was when he left Almyra. His father was the type of guy to leave it untouched unless there was something he wanted to put in there. In which case, there were six years' worth of presents that Claude needed to sort through while he was at home. Today was not one of those days because his dad was throwing a child tantrum and his cousin decided to visit him during this time.

"You would have done it too if you actually were committed…" Claude grumbles. His cousin had the nerve to take up all the room on the bed while he was left to sit in his own chair.

"I'm a free-spirit. I can't stick around all the time. I'm still young and you're going to take the throne sooooooo…"

"Aladdin, please…"

"So, tell me what he's like. Nader only told me what your namzad looks like. I want to hear the juicy details from you."

Claude hated how much of a gossip hen his cousin was. Once Aladdin got what he wanted, he would tell the other nobles of Almyra and then they would poke fun at him again.

"Why do I need to tell you again?"

"So I can stick up for you when the king decides sobbing at your door begging you to not marry."

Claude sighs at the image. His dad was only upset that he got engaged without telling him and without meeting who the person was. Almyra didn't care about the gender of the partner unlike Fodlan. Yes, Claude would ascend the throne, but the Almyran Goddess of Love would find a way to make him have babies…somehow. That detail was still iffy to him.

"I can handle him when he shows up in the next hour." Claude says puffing his cheeks.

"Really, because you left your family for six years just so you wouldn't have to deal with him!" Aladdin exclaims. "You know how obnoxious your dad is when you're not here? He can be the perfect ruler for everyone, but the moment it's nighttime and no one can see him, he has a breakdown over his sweet son not being in his room that he can cuddle. He drove your mom insane."

"I bet he did…"

"Hey, he's just worried about you."

"I know…"

Claude knows his father cares, but right now, he would rather not confront his meddling dad at the moment.

**Together**

For all his life, Claude had been ostracized and bullied for having Fodlan blood in his system. Running away to Fodlan changed nothing as no one trusted him. He never told anyone about his Almyran blood, but many suspected his origins. It took a stoic mercenary with a Goddess living in his head for Claude to finally open and trust others again.

One year at the academy, many events transpired allowing Claude to realize he had developed a crush on his professor.

During the five years the two professors disappeared, Claude mourned for them. He needed to accept that he lost his chance to tell Byleth how he felt about him. Nothing would have come out of it, but it was better than living with a broken heart. The head of House Riegan refused to give up on them. If they were able to escape a death trap and cut a hole through space, then they were surely alive somewhere.

The day the two professors returned became a turning point for the Kingdom and Alliance. A month after their return, they raised an army to counterattack the Empire. Three months later, they reclaimed the Great Bridge of Myrddin. Four months later, Dimitri returned to his senses, but only after Lord Rodrique died protecting him. Five months later, Claude agreed to turn the army around to reclaim the capital and protect the people of Faerghus. Six months later, Claude convinced Almyra to send soldiers to help. Unfortunately, the Javelins of Light launched at Fort Merceus forced Claude to rethink his strategy.

Seven months later, Claude had to make the trip to Almyra to speak to his father and request help. The combined army of the Kingdom and Alliance were cripplied and if they wanted to get to Edelgard, they needed more troops. Dimitri was willing to wait for him, so Claude allowed him and Beth to stay at Garreg Mach while he and Byleth went to Almyra. The journey wouldn't be that long. Traveling by wyvern was relatively easy and the Alliance Leader knew that once the wyvern patrol saw a familiar white wyvern in the sky, they would know it was their crowned prince.

Eight months later after some convincing (and whining/begging), Claude managed to get his father to assist him and he had Byleth to thank. At the time, Dimitri and Beth had taken back Arianrhod from the Empire making it even easier to corner the Empire. In that same month, they marched toward Enbarr, took down Edelgard and rescued Lady Rhea. Claude still felt sick seeing the form she took when her back was against the wall. Dimitri didn't even get the final blow in…

Nine months later, the Kingdom and Alliance marched toward Shambala and took out Those Who Slither in the Dark…the same people who were behind The Tragedy of Duscur.

Ten months later, everyone had to prepare one last time to take down Nemesis. The battle raged on and many good men were lost that day. However, Claude trusted Byleth to be the one to finish Nemesis off. With their teamwork, they prevailed.

Shortly after the war, Claude was forced to return to Almyra by the demands of his father. Before he left, he managed to confess his feelings to his former professor. To his surprise, Byleth returned his feelings and gave him a ring in return. Claude wanted to cry. He was starting to get everything he wanted, but the wedding would have to wait. He still needed to break the news to his parents after all. Byleth saw Claude off and reminded him he would be waiting for his return.

A year after defeating Nemesis, Claude ascended the throne in Almyra. Dimitri and Byleth worked hard to destroy Fodlan's Throat. The hard work they put in allowed for one of Claude's many dreams to come true.

In that same year, Byleth had announced that he was to be wed to Claude. The former Alliance Leader wanted to keep that to himself, but the Archbishop understood that Claude would have had a silent wedding if he allowed it. Fortunately, Almyra already knew their new king was engaged to someone in Fodlan. Not everyone was pleased that the son of the Hero King would follow in his father's footsteps in allowing a person from Fodlan to co-rule. Once it was revealed to be Byleth, the naysayers slowly started quieting down as if they knew that the Archbishop could mess them up.

Byleth and Claude would be married next year. The location of the marriage was yet to be determined. A compromise would be to marry at Fodlan's Throat and keep security at an all time high. When both Seteth and the Almyran King argued over having the wedding in their country, it left the grooms in a grouchy mood. While Byleth could easily persuade Seteth to not get married in the Church of Seiros, Claude needed a miracle if he wanted to convince his dad to not marry in the palace capital. By dumb luck, it was Bathus of all people that manage to get the Hero King to meet halfway. (Bathus must have done something to anger the man in order to compromise. Claude didn't want to know what the grappler was thinking.)

With a lighter heart, Claude finally realized that the children of the Almyran nobles he used to hang with in his youth still cared about him. They helped him get into Almyra with Byleth despite the current issues. They joined him in fighting the Empire, Those Who Slither in the Dark, and Nemesis. They approved of his relationship with Byleth and they were on his side despite his father's complaining. One day, Claude would apologize to them for thinking that they never saw him as his own person. For now, he'd let them help the planning on his side…

…Turned out that was a mistake. Outside of his cousin, he had three other friends who wanted the best for him…yet when the topic came to about what he should wear, they went all out in making his outfit. Claude refused to be in a wedding dress. Almyran traditional didn't care for this sort of thing but when it came to same gendered relationships, one of two lovers needed to wear something to please the Goddess of Love.

"At least wear the veil!" Urza yells.

"No! I am not going to be wearing that dress Urza! I don't care how many hours you put into making that!"

"You selfish brat! This is the perfect outfit. It defines you so well. Your husband will love it."

Claude hated arguing with Urza. She reminded him too much of Lorenz…except female and a seamstress. She always knew how to get on his nerves out of all the Almyran nobles. In this case, she only shut him up because she addressed Byleth as his husband.

Husband…that word sounded so foreign…

"Give up," a low husky voice suggested. "Urza is going to push this idea."

"Hassan, can you tell her to stop?" Claude asks. "Pretty please?"

He had the nerve to attempt to use puppy dog eyes on one of the most cold-hearted nobles in Almyra. It didn't work.

"No."

"Ahh, you just want me to suffer."

"We want you to look your best."

"Can she make it less…feminine then?"

If Claude showed up wearing the dress, Hilda and Lorenz would never let him hear the end of it. He still had a reputation to maintain. Aladdin would tell him that he needed to throw out the "Almyrans are very masculine" mentality out the window seeing as how he was already going against the stereotype anyway.

"U-Um…Urza…" a tiny voice spoke, "W-Why not just use a tuxedo for the top and the dress for the bottom?"

Urza stops fussing over the rejected dress design after hearing the new suggestion. "Ooooooh. Amit, you are so smart. Why didn't I think of that?"

 _Maybe because you're obsessed with seeing me in a dress._ Claude thought darkly to himself. _I wonder if Teach is going through this annoying task._

* * *

Byleth's side of things only went slightly better than Claude's side. He couldn't check with his fiancé as often as he wanted due to his duties as Archbishop. Even if he tried to ask Beth for help, she was the new Queen of Fodlan, so there wasn't any time for her.

Unlike Claude, Byleth compromised more easily. Even though Seteth wanted the wedding to be in the church, he willingly allowed the idea of it being an outdoor wedding so as long as he was the one that guided the young couple. The Archbishop was more concerned with security. They may be living in an era of peace, but that didn't mean there weren't assassins waiting for one of them to mess up. If Byleth managed to get that under control, he would do whatever Seteth wanted concerning the wedding.

The day of the wedding had finally arrived. Perhaps a little too fast for Byleth. Almyra may have been in a festive mood, but work didn't stop for the Archbishop.

An outside wedding was odd to say the least. What used to be Fodlan's Wall had been destroyed within the year. It was agreed upon that while the walls would no longer separate Fodlan from Almyra, some rooms in the fortress stuck around just to be used for this occasion. Hilda milked the rooms for all it was worth. This wedding would work because of her and the other Golden Deer members pitching in.

Byleth asked Dimitri to be his best man. As much as he wanted to have his sister be by his side, Dimitri had been equally supportive of his romantic pursuit of the Golden Deer leader. Dimitri already had his wedding with Beth, so he knew what to expect.

"I am very happy for you Professor," Dimitri hummed. "This is your day."

The former professor still found it difficult to believe. After all the hardships he endured, he really was going to marry one of his former students. He wondered how Jeralt would react.

"Dima, where are you?!" a voice could be heard shouting. "I need you to help me carry something."

Dimitri was confused about what his wife would want. He apologized to the Archbishop as he dismissed himself. The moment he left the room, someone else snuck right in. Byleth noticed the presence immediately.

"Claude, go back to the other room." Byleth tells him. "It is bad luck if the groom sees his husband before the time."

"Oh, that's not a thing in Almyra," Claude spoke. He smiles. "Besides, I wanted to see my incredibly handsome husband before those cursed nobles drag me back for last minute touch-ups."

Byleth finally got a good look at Claude. Urza went with the tuxedo tail. The upper portion of the outfit was a tuxedo fit for a king. The bottom portion not only had opened leggings, but had the frilly portion of a wedding dress. The outfit was made to not hurt Claude's masculinity, but it still managed to show off his figure in many areas.

"…But you look amazing now." Byleth says as he continues to stare at his future husband.

Claude laughs. "You don't look bad yourself Teach."

"…Hmm…"

"What is it Teach?"

"I thought I told you to stop calling me that. If we are going to get married, you have to call me by my name."

The former Alliance Leader paused. He looked away trying his best to hide his blush. "But Teach…it's hard to say it. I'm so used to having that name just for you."

"But you can say Byleth."

"…I can."

Voices were echoing outside of the room. Urza took notice that Claude wasn't where he was supposed to be. The trickster ruler wouldn't be able to stick around for long.

"See you later Byleth~" Claude says rather quickly. "I refuse to be caught by that witch."

Byleth chuckles to himself. Claude had changed so much at this point. Despite being nervous about the concept of calling him by his name, he did it rather easily.

The next time he would officially say his name, it would be when they were on the altar together.

 _Together._ Byleth thought to himself. _I really like that idea._

**Author's Note:**

> Done with 12043 words. Notes!
> 
> 1\. Almyran Hunters are just as the title describes are people who specifically hunt down Almyrans and either kill them or turn them into slaves. They were originally created to protect the people of Fodlan, but it became depraved rather quickly when it became obvious, they could get away with whatever they wanted. A few of the assassins in Claude's past concerned Almyran hunters and he would rather stay away from them. The slave scenario later demonstrates how bad things could go if Claude is alone. And FYI, Almyran hunters just understand the mindset of how Almyrans think and use it against them. Claude has been one of the hardest Almyrans to hunt because he uses his wits versus brawn.
> 
> 2\. While some of these scenes are out of order intentionally, others are just scenarios entirely. Defeated for example can only happen in a scenario during the war. Love is after the war, so Claude's dad doesn't react as violently.
> 
> 3\. Because Almyra is based on the middle east, some terms used are Persian words for them.
> 
> 4\. I dumped some Almyran lore headcanons in this so I can just casually bring it up in other stories. There are six Gods that worked together to slay a great evil. The God of War and the Goddess of Love married and had a child. Sometime later, the God of War and the God of Vice had a falling out, so he was cast out of the God circle. Almyran won't forget him but fear him because of how much of a jerk he is. The God of War doesn't protect the Almyrans as he expects them to develop strength on their own in a time of peace. The only one who can protect Almyrans is the Goddess of Love (because she is also the Goddess of Fertility).
> 
> 5\. So while we finally got a name for Claude's mom "Tiana", we still don't have a name for his dad. I present to you my interpretation.
> 
> "Shaddad" Aahil Xerxes is the king of Almyra. He is considered the strongest man in Almyran and one that has made a name for himself. Many of his stories are written for history books. He has the blessings and approval of the God of War Qaum. He specializes in lances and is given a lance blessed by said War God, "Crimson Lance". Aahil's lance is equivalent to a Hero's Relic/Sacred Weapon in its power. Rumor states that it can kill 100 humans in one slice.
> 
> Aahil is a noble leader that is loved by the people. He's stated to maintain a cool head and make difficult decisions in favor of his people. People joke that sometimes he relies too much on the Gods despite being capable without them (as the Gods of Almyran don't dictate the Almyran people. They just want to be remembered every now and then).
> 
> The only problem the people have with Aahil is who he picked to marry. While Tiana proved herself to the people of Almyra time and time again (to the point they accept her as their queen), Aahil ended up developing a huge attachment toward his son. Aahil is like the God of War who despite being a scary, imposing figure, he dots on his son. Aahil loves and spoils Claude and as I imply in the ficlet, Aahil would be the type to throw everything away if it meant to keep his son safe (a very bad mindset to have). Despite Aahil being a loving parent, he can't protect Claude from the racial discrimination. He can threaten to kill people who look at his son the wrong way. He can tell Claude that their words don't matter. He can tell Claude to toughen up and be independent, but it doesn't stop Claude from having trust issues outside of his family as a result.
> 
> So of course, Aahil did not approve of Claude leaving Almyra to go to Fodlan because he fears his son is going to get killed. He makes it clear that if someone in Fodlan kills Claude, he has no problem starting a war (the one thing he wants to avoid now). Claude is forced to go home in every route because Aahil is proven right (Claude almost dies protecting the Alliance so now he has to leave) or because he's paranoid (Claude may be fine in his own route but his dad still wants him home).
> 
> 6\. Byleth's hatred toward assassins from the Empire stem from Kronya killing Jeralt. While the point of this scenario is to show that Byleth was being a little selfish in what he wants to do, he still can't forgive Edelgard for working with Slithers.
> 
> 7\. Because Claude was rather spoiled by his dad, he got away with not learning a lot of etiquette such as dancing, singing and performing. The other Almyran nobles pick up the slack for him in that regard but they often tease him for not being able to perform with them. Claude was learning how to make medicine and poisons at his age, and it comes back to bite him in the Together scenario because he fails to understand why it's so important to "look good".


End file.
